The ordinary synthetic thread can not be used to the conventional the apparatus for winding round a stem of a button so as to mechanical characteristics.
The conventional example of the apparatus for winding round the stem of the button is disclosed in the contents of U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,151 (hereinafter referred to as the "prior invention").
The conventional apparatus for winding round the stem of the button disclosed in the prior invention comprises a winding bell for winding a thread, a winding bell drive motor having a axis with the drive motor spaced from said winding bell, said drive motor has a arranged for the winding thread to be passed therethrough to the winding bell, said hollow shaft having an axis, and a magazine for receiving a winding thread supply, wherein said winding bell, the drive motor having the hollow shaft and the magazine being comined to form a hand-operated device.
According to the construction of such the hand-operated device, it had the advantages which the end of the winding thread is definitely fixed to coil of the button stem and the button is sewn more economically than when using a stationary stem winding apparatus. Such said apparatus especially had the advantages which can be particularly compact and easily handleable when the magazine is constructed with a handle type.
An apparatus for winding round the stem of the button of an article of clothing can have a very compact construction in whole by mounting the winding bell, the drive motor and the magazine on identical axis, or mounting the magazine at right angles to the common axis of the winding bell and the drive motor so as to form indirect drive connection relation with the winding bell by means of a mitre gear. Said apparatus can be easily and actually handleable by wrapping a casing on the drive motor so as to use it as a handle.
However, said construction had the following drawbacks concerning actual use when the winding operation is conducted.
The hand-operated device of first embodiment in FIG. 3 illustrating the prior invention the conventional apparatus is constructed such that an electric motor drives the winding bell through a hollow shaft axis, the winding thread is drawn from a bobbin of the common axis located at the magazine, through the hollow shaft, is passed to the winding bell, is gone through the edge of the winding bell, and is wound round the thread bundle periphery of the stem of the button according to rotation of the winding bell. The winding thread which is wound in a semi-coniform bobbin mounted on the hollow axis and the common axis is coiled and unloosened, as it is unloosened to the side of angular point when drawn to the hollow shaft of the drive motor.
This thread is connected again from the hollow shaft to the edge of the winding bell. It is recoiled and drawn according to the rotation of the winding bell.
As such, after drawing the winding thread from the bobbin and in the process of the winding operation, if the thread is recoiled and drawn, the tensile force of the thread decreases and during the winding operation maintaining high rotation speed, the thread is frequently cut off, which leads to the frequent interruption of the winding operation. Namely, as it hinders the general characteristics required for continuous treatment of a given quantity of clothing, it is very inefficient in the respect of operation efficiency and has impractical disadvantage.
Especially if the thread is wound round the shape of the button in its recoiled state, the periphery of the thread wound is formed knaggy, and thus it had the drawbacks leading to friction and easy wear in a buttonhole while using the clothing.
Further, as shown on the other example of the second embodiment shown on FIG. 4 of the prior invention, the hollow shaft is rotatively mounted in a gear casing, the end edge of the hollow shaft is guided from the gear casing, at one end the winding bell is fixed and at the other end the magazine receiving a supply part of the winding thread is located, the magazine is constructed with a bobbin carrier fixed in the gear casing and a supply bobbin for the winding thread, this bobbin is located at right angles to the axis of the hollow shaft and is inserted into the bobbin carrier in a rotative and interchangeable way, and the thread which left the bobbin finally goes through a ring provided on the circumference of a circle of the winding bell through the hollow shaft and a slot formed on a wall of the winding bell.
With such construction, when the winding thread wound round the supply bobbin is unloosened and drawn to the hollow shaft, the thread is unloosened from the side of the bobbin while the supply bobbin is rotating on its own axis, and thus first-stage coiling phenomenon is settled. However, the thread being drawn by going through the hollow shaft, the slot formed on the wall of the winding bell and the ring provided on the circumference of the circle of the winding bell is coiled and drawn in the process of going through the hollow shaft and being supplied to the ring, and thus the degree of coiling is somewhat reduced in comparison with the apparatus of said first embodiment but has the drawbacks similar to those of the apparatus of the first embodiment due to the surviving coiling phenomenon.